Fort Lauderdale is HOT!

An ideal vacation for me is soaking under the sun with the sea breeze gently caressing my face. The sight of the endless ocean blue can mesmerize me for hours. As I hop on the plane toward the Sunshine State-Florida-during the beginning of my spring break, my heart is filled with anticipation and joy.
The fun starts as I board the Sony airline. The small screen in front of me has 24 channels of live entertainment including the latest news, sports, and music. You can create a personal play list with your favorite songs, and you can play a trivia game against other passengers and find out who is the best player. As the flight attendant points out, "It's a touch board, not a punch board" but it's hard not to punch the right answer when you want to beat the time limit. The two hours and 20 minutes fly by fast by just listening to the music and playing the games.

My destination, Fort Lauderdale, is located in southern Florida. Warm sunshine and miles of sand and surf awaits me to experience its abundant resources and activities.

The River of Grass

Big Daddy lies lazily in the cool water with his eyes half open. He ignores the wide-eyed crowd surrounding him. Suddenly, the door opens. Big Daddy quickly emerges his 900-pound body from the water. "Snap!" his powerful jaws enclose over a small piece of meat the park ranger drops in his mouth. Big Daddy is an alligator that lives in the Everglades National Park. Just the tail of the 9 and 1/2 feet alligator weighs over 100 pounds. He is just one of the millions of alligators living in the Everglades National Park, where he shares this natural reserved place with panthers, reptiles, and different species of birds and exotic wildlife.
I board the airboat to explore this "River of Grass." The "Air Captain," Wallington, hands out toilet paper to use as earplugs to protect our ears from the deafening sounds of the engine. He used to give real plastic earplugs but tourists threw them in the water. Eventually, there were no more turtles or fish. As he steers the boat, I sit, hanging onto my hat, and looking into the murky water. All I can see is endless saw grass-grass so sharp that once you touch it, you bleed. Tiny fish swim to and fro; alligators poke their heads out from behind the tall grass. There are also some gorgeous yellow flowers with iridescent red centers, and clumps of lily pads. Our captain speeds the boat up. The wind caresses my face and blows my hair around wildly. As we skim the glades and see the water reflecting the puffy clouds, a sense of peace and excitement washes over me.

The Riverwalk

Fort Lauderdale is called the "Venice of America." More than 40,000 residents' yachts dock here. Strolling along the shaded Riverwalk and admiring some of the world's most expensive mega-yachts sailing gracefully along the Intracoastal Waterway is a spectacular panoramic view.
I climb aboard a cruise ship and sail along the Intracoastal Waterway with a close view of celebrity mansions including owners of Miami Dolphin and Blockbuster's Video extravagant mansions. Luxurious Mega-yachts with helicopters onboard and naval vessels from around the world are seen along this Millionaire's Row. It is marvelous!

Fort Lauderdale's downtown bustles with people. Restaurants filled with French, Japanese, and Italian cuisine are lined with people waiting to be seated. Window shopping the unique stores, or sitting on the street's café sipping a drink and seeing people carried by water taxis, a two wheeled cart pulled by a cheerful person, hopping along the busiest Las Olas Boulevard, is a great way to pass the day.

Exploring the Hidden Treasure

When English archaeologist, Howard Carter, discovered the young Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922, the world was fascinated with all the unspoiled burial treasures of an ancient king from Egypt's Golden Age. At the Museum of Art, I had to chance to glimpse into those hidden treasures.

Carter described it accurately as, "A glint of gold everywhere." Many of the treasures were made of gold. Besides the king's golden throne, there is a gold diadem decorated with precious stones and glass found on the mummy's head. Four small coffins contain embalmed internal organs (liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines) made of beaten gold that was elaborately decorated inside and out.

I saw the exhibit of intricately painted sailboats. Egyptians believed the dead king would make a nighttime journey, by boat, through the "Underworld." Many animal figures buried in the chamber also implied that there is life after death.

Among hundreds of display treasures, the most stunning and important is the mask found on the pharaoh's mummy. It is made from burnished gold, with blue glass stripes in the headdress and the false beard. On his forehead are a vulture's head, and a cobra, which symbolizes the king's ruling power over Lower and Upper Egypt, all made of solid gold. It was fabulous!!

Adventures at Night

Sitting on the beach recliners with my feet in the cool sand and listening to the waves rush to the shore at night is absolutely exquisite. Sometimes, I get up and use my flashlight to walk by the ocean and look for seashells. The water is inviting and dark, and the air smells salty. I breathe in deeply wanting to remember this forever. The bright beam from the lighthouse lights the beach for a second, then passes on. Nights on the beach are peaceful tranquil and beautiful.

Greater Fort Lauderdale, an enthralling place buzzing with different indoor and outdoor activities, is a truly pleasant getaway spot for a family vacation!!